Product Overview

The Next Generation CATIA Solution Version 5 is built on a totally new scalable architecture that combines the best of the current CATIA technologies with new generation standards. It offers total single system image across Native Windows and UNIX environments, and an extensible environment capable of supporting all aspects of the Digital Enterprise, from Digital Mockup, Digital Manufacturing, to Digital Operation and Digital Plant definition. The Version 5 system architecture offers a unique scalability environment which gives to customers the choice of selecting the optimum set of solutions, given the CAD specialization of the intended users, the complexity of the project and corresponding functional requirements. The 3 possible choices are CATIA-P1, CATIA-P2 and CATIA P3 installations.

Product Highlights

Leading edge technology and advanced features for high productivity on a single system image on native Windows and UNIX environments

Ease of Use due to a state-of-the-art user interface for CAD systems

Design knowledge can be captured and reused to introduce company standards in the design phase and to increase productivity

Outstanding visualization

3D XML.leverages the reuses of manufacturing rich PLM data and spread its content everywhere and for multiple purposes that goes beyond PLM applications

Product Key Customer Benefits

Leading-edge Technology The completely reengineered CATIA Version 5 is built upon next generation technologies such as C++, object oriented programming, STEP, CORBA and OpenGL, OLE, Java. These leading-edge standards ensure architecture scalability, and increased overall system quality and openness.

Ease of Use As with all CATIA V5 applications, CATIA Object Manager 2 (COM) enables designers to focus on creativity rather than software manipulation. 3D design becomes natural and intuitive with CATIA V5 user interface. You benefit from all Windows standards for ergonomics. All applications are homogeneous and therefore let you combine their usage seamlessly along your design. Your specifications are structured in a tree view with a user-friendly navigation. The interface is structured around integrated workbenches that comprise the necessary tools needed to make user tasks readily accessible. Customizations are possible to fit the specific needs of users. For example, you can customize your graphical user interface by creating your personal toolbars or select your favorite workbenches.

Outstanding visualization CATIA V5 provides through COM outstanding quality of visualization. Actually, "What You See Is What You Get" as the simulation fully reflects the reality for both product structure and motions (user manipulations and assembly interferences). Graphic performance is enhanced due to the level of detail management, depth cueing (clip and fog) and multithreaded graphics (IBM-AIX, SGI-IRIX and SUN-Solaris). Ground and light source effects allow the digital mock-up to be placed in a reference environment.

Windows and UNIX environments Thanks to single system image, CATIA V5 users can work with Windows or UNIX environments or a combination of both. CATIA Object Manager 2 provides core user functions, an identical set of utilities with a consistent user interface across both platforms. Because V5 data is totally compatible, it can be seamlessly exchanged between UNIX and NT.

Specification driven to accelerate design process Version 5 provides a unique Specification Driven and generative modeling approach, which captures and re-uses process specifications, ultimately accelerating the design process. Version 5 offers a specification modeler that allows concentrating the design effort on establishing the proper design specifications while leaving it to the system to compute or update the resulting geometry when required. Such an approach is implemented as a generalized mechanism for all Version 5 applications. The specification modeler offers unique ways to manage links between objects stored in different documents thus making possible multi-user implementations and concurrent engineering methodologies. The persistence of objects facilitates the implementation of your methodologies and especially concurrent engineering.

Capture and reuse knowledge Version 5 captures the design intent as design specifications, and allows editing either the specifications themselves or the resulting geometry. Beyond a traditional parametric or variational approach, this third generation of modeling technology offers both flexibility and high productivity gains to users. As a basic function of CATIA Version 5, it is possible to establish and manage design specifications in the form of parameters and formulas. The Design Table relation allows creating part variations from a table of parameter values. Configurations can then be modified automatically and/or dynamically, providing you smart parts. COM is the entry point to knowledgeware tools: Knowledge Optimizer, Knowledge Advisor, Knowledge Expert, and Generative knowledge.

External Application Integration Standard data exchange and publishing formats enable users to integrate information across the office environment. When used in the Windows environment, native Object Linking and Embedding (OLE) enables users to insert any type of CATIA objects into other OLE applications such as Excel, PowerPoint or Microsoft Word and the equivalent Lotus SmartSuite products. Conversely, for example, you can insert a word document in a CATIA drafting.

Advanced Features for high productivity In order to accelerate designer productivity, the system provides advanced usability features including dynamic and mouse-based manipulation of geometrical objects, availability of numerous multi-selection options avoiding repetitive tasks or selections; and a power input approach for shortcutting most panel selections. With the 3D compass, you always keep a precise awareness and control over parts movements and make quick drag and drop, snap...etc.

Optimal Leverage of CATIA V5 power within ENOVIA V5 VPM Specification, definition and evaluation are managed in ENOVIA V5 VPM through technological package: Knowledge data are naturally integrated as technological packages for unmatched concurrent engineering and capitalization capabilities. This includes for CO1: Parameters, Formulas, Laws, Design Table.3D XML breakthrough. 3D XML for providing the best lightweight 3D representation of rich PLM data throughout PLM value chain and that goes beyond PLM application. This new format, written entirely in XML, the universal open standard for structured data, is supported across all the Dassault Systemes ?s brands. It provides the capacity to highly compress the geometry while retaining the accuracy. As it is XML based format, any application may read this format and enrich the description. Last but not least, fully open, the 3D XML description is fully and publicly documented.